soundoff(20 Responses)

Serena

The fact that it is not obvious and self evident that these people should not only not be glorified but thrown in jail, clearly shows how pathetic the lives of the people of this town must be. Their existences are so pointless and empty that all they have is a football game to divert them from this fact, to the point that they will protect and defend self professed gang rapists in their midst. Too bad Jim Jones didn't make himself famous there, then none of this would be happening today.

January 4, 2013 at 6:37 pm |

Amanda

Is it really alleged when they film a video bragging about doing it, live tweet it, and take pictures of carrying her unconscious body around like it's a carcass? Really??

January 4, 2013 at 6:43 pm |

Serena

Even if it is flagrant and outright and the entire world is a witness (as is the situation in this case) for legal reasons the media is forced to use the otherwise meaningless word "alleged'. I know, it's ridiculous, but that's the world we live in.

January 4, 2013 at 6:53 pm |

Serena

I thought rape WAS a federal offense?

January 4, 2013 at 7:21 pm |

Emily

Excuse me Serena, I'm from Steubenville and my life is not "pathetic" nor is my existence "pointless." You can't say things like that about an entire town because of a few messed up boys. There's quite a few of us that don't agree with their actions and what's going on with the case. There's criminals in every city as is there corruption.

January 4, 2013 at 8:55 pm |

Kara

A few times during this segment on CNN Saturday Morning, the girl who was raped was referred to as the "victim." What kind of a message do you think this sends? Instead, try using the word "survivor." I applaud CNN for not blaming the rape survivor, but let's take it one step further and try to change the words we use to talk about rape to be more survivor-supportive and survivor-empowering.

January 5, 2013 at 10:47 am |

Jane

more terminology: the news anchor just called the female involved "a young girl" and the males involved "young men"
how old is a "young girl"? 7, 8, 4....16 how old are "young men" newspeople need to stop saying "young girl" when they accurately mean "young woman"

January 6, 2013 at 1:45 am |

Sweet Bakin

stop labeling him as a Mangina, this man fights for your right to chivalry!

Typical, and lately more-and-more common, knee jerk journalism to "report" news without sufficent fact checking or reporting both sides of the story. Both of you–get off the soapbox and be true journalist!

Even more important now that the press has tainted any possibility of a fair trial by it's one-sided reporting in light of all the facts that are now being revealed by the police and the prosecutor–facts that were available when the story broke into the news.

January 7, 2013 at 7:09 am |

Kimmo

Interesting how one person is belly aching about these low-life's receiving a a fair trial, and that becomes more important than even base civility toward another human being. Or is it unfair because everyone who attended all of the parties watched these maggots drag around an unconscious female while they violated her, abused her,raped her and then recorded all for their entertainment and now because it is exposed and it ain't Vegas baby (the land of whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas), they are exposed? I guess this backward town wants everyone in the country to forget about it and go back to our lives so they can get back to football. So disgusting, I guess the the damning video evidence isn't enough to convict we have to drag it through a trial and waste taxpayers money, after all the football boys parents are banking on their precious pathetic scum sons to go on to college and find bigger prey, oh I mean play football.

January 7, 2013 at 9:26 am |

Last Good Thing

Yes this is bad and yes they should go to jail.

However, this case is starting to smell like the evidence against them is not going to be enough to hold up in court to get a conviction.

January 7, 2013 at 4:19 pm |

Barron Hydron

Jerry Springer warned us all many years ago but nobody listened to his warnings...Time to hold these criminals who are responsible for this, responsible...If they spiked her drink that's another charge...Sorry, no scholarships for these dumb rapists jocks...

January 8, 2013 at 2:13 pm |

Britta

This reminds me a lot of what happened in my town a year ago. I'll always remember the news trucks and reporters standing at every corner, the Westboro Babtist Church showing up to hold it's inflammatory signs, the resulting riot when an old football coach was fired, and the way the media blew it all up–though maybe not totally out of proportion–everyone and their mother had nasty things to say about us, about our "culture." I don't really understand the immediate blaming of a sport, although perhaps the idolization that tends to go along with it is to blame. If this is the case, why not cut the salaries of NFL players and the price of tickets, make it like any other job. Maybe football really is to blame. Or maybe, this is nothing new. I gaurentee she wasn't the only girl who's ever passed out drunk and was sexually assaulted. And Jerry Sandusky was not the only man who sexually molested young boys. No, as of late, mass media has brought these things more to light–and even more recently, social media has served to fan that fire. It's brought our culture new awareness about those things that nobody wanted to talk about, like pedophila, sexual abuse and even bullying.

January 8, 2013 at 7:55 pm |

belinda

The true test of a good mother , raising son's who respect Women.

January 8, 2013 at 8:02 pm |

horrified

lock them ALL up in jail, throw away the key forever! good riddance!

January 10, 2013 at 3:35 pm |

lee

Can anybody say the words that accurately describe this? Caught red handed. Which by their own means with showing the video proves it.Open and shut case...there is no middle ground so why try to build one. Thats the stupidity in this country now. People blinding themselves from actuality trying to pretend they are smart while proving how stupid they are.

January 16, 2013 at 4:59 pm |

chuck

Here's the thing – One of the accused rapists was the girl's boyfriend, allegedly. They'd probably already been sexually active together. All were probably drinking. How is this girl raped, how is the conduct between her and other boys, making her the victim and the boys criminals? Did she not choose to go to parties just like they did, drink just like they did, then get into a sexual encounter just like they did?

Sorry folks but your uptight sensibilities in the matter are ridiculous. There's no doubt that these boys were jerks, although I question the girl's moral fortitude too. However what remains is that they all acted in a manner that society shuns, and when caught doing so the girl is basically trying to preserve her reputation by letting people use the word rape rather than admitting she was involved in a dodgy sexual encounter.

Victim? More a victim of the press than the event. I doubt she even remembers it with clarity nor do I suspect the boys do either.

Let me put this another way. Once upon a time ago I was drunk at a party and a woman took advantage of me. Did I feel raped? No. I felt like an idiot for getting intoxicated enough to sleep with someone I didn't intend a relationship with, though I admit I enjoyed the event at the time. Should I have turned around the next day and cried RAPE, and if I did, do you seriously think the gal would have been prosecuted for it? It was merely an event in my life, no trauma, I wasn't a "victim" to any extent that I had anything more than a hangover the next day and a hope that I hadn't gotten her pregnant, which she wasn't.

My point is that there is an unfair double standard where if a boy and a girl are intoxicated, the girl is seen as a victim and the boy a criminal. The day has come that we need to stop making this ridiculous assumption.

January 19, 2013 at 8:31 pm |

Capt Nemo

To chuck:

It's rape because someone who is intoxicated or unconscious cannot give consent.

Dr. Drew is right; parents should do everything in their power to discuss major issues like rape with their children, regardless of how silly it may sound. Unfortunately these things are far to common to simply brush under the rug or think “My child would never do something like that.” It needs to be a topic of conversation for parents and children, without a doubt.

January 13, 2014 at 3:24 pm |

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